Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is proud to represent California's 47th Congressional District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Fullerton in Orange County. She began her congressional career in November 1996 and is currently serving her seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A recognized leader on national security, intelligence, and counterterrorism issues, Sanchez serves as the Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism. She is also a member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology.

In the 111th Congress, Sanchez is a leader in securing America's border with Mexico. A strong advocate for Southwest border security, she frequently appears on CNN, C-SPAN, FOX News, and MSNBC to discuss the importance of economic development and trade along the U.S.-Mexico border and ports of entry. She has met with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide guidance on critical issues, including combating human, weapons, and drug trafficking and ensuring interagency cooperation on national security issues. In March of 2009, Sanchez joined Secretary Napolitano at the San Diego sector of the U.S.-Mexico border, where she toured the port of entry at San Ysidiro and other border installations. Sanchez has also visited the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso and Cd. Juarez, where border violence has been the worst. There, she received multiple briefings from Mexican military officials as well as federal law enforcement about escalating drug cartel violence.

As Chair of the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism, Sanchez provides strict oversight for important security measures, including the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card program and the Secure Border Initiative (SBI). In overseeing the TWIC program, which provides workers with an I.D. card to access secure areas at ports, Sanchez is fighting to ensure port workers can continue working during their credentialing application process. She also guided key maritime security provisions through Congress in the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE PORT ACT) in 2006.

Sanchez is also the ranking female member on the House Armed Services Committee and sits on the Oversight and Investigations, Strategic Forces, and Military Personnel Subcommittees. In Congress, she is a longtime advocate for service members, fighting for pay raises, improved health care, child care services, and housing and education benefits for military families. Sanchez works especially hard to prevent rape and sexual assault in America's armed services, successfully revising the Uniform Code of Military Justice to create a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse. She also focuses on the issues of space weaponization, missile defense, and nuclear non-proliferation.

Sanchez is Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam and a member of the Blue Dog Democrats, the New Democratic Coalition, and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. She was appointed by Speaker Pelosi to serve on the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), a bicameral Congressional Committee composed of ten members from each the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Committee's main purpose is to continually monitor matters relating to the US economy, including unemployment, foreclosures, and interest rates. The Committee holds hearings, performs research, and advises other Members of Congress.

A product of public schools and Head Start, Sanchez is a graduate of Chapman University and American University's MBA program. Prior to serving in Congress, she was a financial manager at the Orange County Transportation Authority, an assistant vice president at Fieldman, Rollap and Associates, and an associate at Booz, Allen, and Hamilton.

Show full bio

Hide full bio